Puncture-proof attachment for tires.



J. B'. OATMAN. PUNCTURE PROOF ATTACHMBNTTOR TIRES.

APPLICATION FIIIED AUG. 7, 1907. 921 ,444. y

Patented-May 1.1, 1909.

' wax UNITED srnrias PATENT FFICE.

.Tassa B. oATMAN, or RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

PUNCTURE-PROOF ATTACHMENT FOR TIRES.

Application filed August 7,

To all'. ywhom it may concern:

Be 1t known. thatl, JESSE B. OATMAN, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Riverside, county of Riverslde, State of (lahforreadily applied with out reconstruction ofthe tire; another object being to give full proteci tion to the inner tube against puncture and yet remove 'none of the resilient qualities of jacent the sleeve of the device. Fig. 3 is a f 5 as shown in Fi. 2, which is flat and en- .Figure 1 is a cross sectional view taken cir-A theptire. Y

. 'l`he accompanylng drawings illustrate one l l l which 1s very mexpcnsive and which may be g l forni of the invention and referring thereto z- E cumferentially through a tire equipped With the invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective, partly in section, of la portion adierspeetive, partlyl in section, on line 'w3-r3 Fig. 4 is a perspective, partly in section, on lineart-9c4 1. ig. 5 is a side elevation on a reduced scale of the puncture proof attachment removed from the tire.

1 designates the rim of the Wheel, .2 designates the casing or shoe, and Slis the inner air tube, all of which may be of any desired construction. 1 i The invention comprises a strip of non-4 puncturable material which is adapted to be slipped into the casing to lie between the in# ner tube 3 and the casing 2. In its preferred forn the device comprises a strip of spring steel 4 which, in cross section, is curved to conform' to the inner contour of the outer casing 2 of the tire and which preferably embraces an arc slightlyless than half a circle. The steel strip 4 forms an expansible circular..- ring, its ends lying adjacent to each other in the same plane and being telescopically connected, one end being provided with a sleeve tirely encircles the strip. transversely and Within which the other end of the steel is adapted to slide. The strip is preferably covered with a-'layer of canvas 6, the application` of which may be made by first coating the strip with shellac and then applying the canvas, the yshellac causing the canvas to per- ,Speciflcation of 'Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1909. 1907. slerii No. 387,561.

manently adhere to the strip of steel. The

inner sliding end of the strip, as shown in Fig. 4, may project normally about halfway into the sleeve when the ring is expanded to l lit the casing. This telescopic joint enables the steel ring to be contractedA in size'to en- I able it to be slipped through the inner diameter of the tire, after which the natural spring.

, of the steel causes the ring toexpand so that it fits snugly against the inside Wall of tlie casing and it also prevents the inner or movable enrLof the strip from engaging with the inner tube, or with thecanvas' when the latter is used, and Wearing it out. In Fig. 1 the canvas is shown by the heavy black lines on both sides of the steelstrip, Fig. 2 being an enlarged View gives a clearer illustration of the manner in which the canvas covering surrounds-the steel strip particularly at the' sleeve portion.

It is obvious that this device may be very cheaply vconstructed and that it may be very easily and quickly ap' lied toa tii'e. When in place in the tire an( the inner tube blown up with the air pressure, the strip is firmly held between the inner tub'e and outer casing. lIf a nail,for example, punctures the outer casing, the'steel strip being under the air pressure ofthe inner tu e and firmly supported, acts as an anvil to turn the point of a nail and bend the nail and thus prevent the nail from passing through the inner tube ard allowing. the air to escape. -lnthis manner Vthe steel strip will deflect any instrument or thin Whici punctures the outer casing so as to strike the'steel.- such as glass, for example, which may cut through the outer tube, is prevented from reaching th'e inner air tube bythe steel strip. Inpractice, after the most severe tests possible to apply, I have found that the steel' stri renders the, inner tube impregnable steel yields and conforms to thellexure of esv which is capable of being bent and Any rigid, sharp substance,

the outercasing in use,`a'nd therefore the resilieney of the tire is not noticeably affected.

One ofthe greatest points of, advantage of this invention is 'that it ,is of exceedingly cheap construction and may be applied to practically any pneumatic tire using an inner tube moreover, the device is entirely con- `oeale'd and the appearance of the .tire is un- 'marred What I claim is 1'- 1. In a tire, an outer'casing, an inner air los tube, a ring between the tube and the casing sleeve completely encircling both of said ends formed from thinsheet of metal curved in l With one of said ends sliding freely therein,

lcross section and having its ends lying adjal and a canvas covering upon said ring and 15 cent to each other in the same plane, and a sleeve and secured thereto. flat metallic,A sleeve entirely encircling the In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set ends of said ring and curved in cross section myhand at Los Angeles, California, this. 1st to colrespond with the curvature thereof, l day of August 1907. 2. n a tire, an outer Casin an 'inner air i 1./ tube', a ring between the tube nd the casing JESSL B' OATMAN formed from a thin sheet of metal, curved in' i cross section and having its ends lying edja- 1 cent to each other in the same plane, a Hat In presence of- GEORGE T. HACKLEY, FRANK L; A. .GRAHAM 

